The ladder training method isn’t about fancy footwork. Rather, this is a one-off weight training workout that staggers your exercise sets and reps as if you were moving up an imaginary ladder. The point is to get you really strong while helping you manage your exhaustion levels—but still kick your butt.

The concept is simple: You start with one rep on the first set. Rest. You add a rep on the next set, working up to two reps, and then keeping adding a rep on subsequent sets until you get to whatever predetermined ladder setup you want to do. There are many ways to set up a ladder. Here’s the most basic example:

Set 1: 1 rep

Rest

Set 2: 2 reps

Rest

Set 3: 3 reps

Rest

Set 4: 4 reps

Rest

Set 5: 5 reps

Repeat

Other ladder setups could be:

1 rep, 2 reps, 3 reps (repeat 2 or 3 times)

2 reps, 3 reps, 5 reps, 10 reps (repeat 2 or 3 times)

Also, there are rules. First and foremost, you stick with one exercise and weight throughout the whole workout. The exercise is up to you, but typically, you’d choose a compound exercise that works out multiple muscle groups. For example, you can do a squat or a pull-up ladder workout. A weight that you can lift for at least five reps is a good place to start. Rest periods can be quick, about 30 seconds.

Just make sure your effort and intensity remain consistent throughout the whole workout, so if it’s too easy go up in weight next time. As a side note, the ladder method is slightly different pyramid style training, which makes you increase your weight. This method gives you plenty of practice, but since you’re not quite going 100 percent every set, you can manage your fatigue levels more easily. Don’t worry, you still get a hell of a workout.